Unraveling the Mysteries
Inside Web Shoppers' Minds

When Steven Snyder quit his job as head of Microsoft Corp.'s programming-languages division in 1988, his next move was unorthodox for a software guy: He became a psychotherapist.

Mr. Snyder wanted a break from business, and he got it treating psychotic patients at an inner-city hospital in Minneapolis. Now, as chief executive of Net Perceptions Inc., he is putting his doctorate in psychology to a different use -- forecasting Internet shoppers' preferences so merchants on the Web can dispense buying advice.